A vision of unity that endures

Community Vision celebrates its 10th anniversary as an organization bringing together diverse people.

October 28, 2005|By Ashima Singal, Sentinel Staff Writer

KISSIMMEE -- Graffiti in a neighborhood 10 years ago disappointed one resident, who thought the "artwork" showed that some Osceola residents were losing pride in their community. It would be great if the county united around a common vision, he told others in passing.

That simple delinquent act of spray painting helped to contribute to the start of Community Vision, a not-for-profit organization that celebrated its 10th birthday this week at Tupperware World Headquarters.

Wednesday evening, another piece of artwork was used to celebrate the anniversary of Community Vision -- an oil, acrylic and watercolor mural of Osceola's history and its future painted by artist Pedro Brull.

Brull said his patrons asked him to incorporate all the different elements that are important in the Osceola community, including plants and wildlife, tourism, a cowboy lassoing a bull and a few historical-landmark buildings.

With all walks of Osceola life on a 36-by 40-inch mural, Brull's painting symbolizes the mission of Community Vision -- to bring people and resources together, said Donna Sines, executive director of the agency.

"We need to make sure everyone in this community, as diverse as it is, feels they can pull up a chair and be part of a discussion," Sines said this week.

The organization focuses on five key priorities in the county -- protecting the environment, promoting economic development, improving education, managing growth and preserving the small-town feel, she said.

"The county is really growing fast, and that's as true today as it was 10 years ago," Sines said.

Although her group has reached out and brought in people from various walks of life, there are still a lot of the same "usual suspects" at the table, Sines said. Government and corporate leaders make up the vast majority of the 2005 board of directors.

New blood will be vital for the future of Community Vision, and it's important to look outside, board member Gene Terrico said.

"We need people who want to contribute, and it's best if those people don't come in with ulterior motives," Terrico said.

Any resident can become involved, and the high percentage of governmental and corporate leaders in Community Vision shows that residents need to step up and be held accountable for their community, said Marie Jones, a founding member of the organization and executive director of the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce's Black Business Council.

For some blacks in the area, the inclusive nature of Community Vision 10 years ago was a great opportunity to spend time with leaders and even to unite groups of black residents from the North, Africa and the Caribbean islands, Jones said.

"We were so happy to be invited to the planning process," Jones said about being involved in the original vision. "This was a big deal. No one in the big cities asks for [our] opinion."

In the past decade, the organization has grown from Sines working part time in her living room to nine full-time staff members and two part-timers.

The need for better health care in the community has exploded in the past few years, Sines said. That's one reason Community Vision worked with Osceola County Council on Aging to secure a federal grant to acquire and operate a Mobile Medical Express van that takes health-care services to low-income communities.

"Health wasn't even an issue 10 years ago," Sines said.

Community Vision has raised $11 million from federal and local grants, said Maureen Kersmarki, director of government and public affairs at Florida Hospital and chairwoman of the health-issues task force.

We've made huge progress, but we have such a growing population," Kermarski said. "We still have [about] 30 percent uninsured rate [in the county]."